What to Watch For: Charlotte Motor Speedway

CONCORD, N.C. -- As the Contender Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup continues Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway, all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers will look for strong finishes at a track where the organization has traditionally found plenty of success.

Below are a few key notes to keep an eye on during the race.

THIS WEEK'S PAINT SCHEMES: Saturday night, Kasey Kahne will pilot the No. 5 Pepsi Chevrolet SS. Jeff Gordon will drive the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet SS, Jimmie Johnson will man the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet SS and Dale Earnhardt Jr. will climb in to his No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet SS.

HAPPY 40TH BIRTHDAY: Earnhardt, driver of the Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet SS, celebrates his 40th birthday on Friday. The race at Charlotte will mark his first as a 40-year-old.

CONTENDER UPDATE: With the first race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup’s Contender Round complete at Kansas, Gordon ranks in the eighth-place position, which is the cutoff spot to advance to the Eliminator Round. Kahne ranks ninth and is eight points behind the eighth-place position. Earnhardt, who was leading the race at Kansas when he experienced a tire failure, ranks 11th, 25 points behind eighth place. Johnson, who also made contact with the wall at Kansas, ranks 12th, 27 points behind eighth place.

WIN AND ADVANCE: A win by any Chase Contender automatically advances that driver to the eight-car Eliminator Round.

HENDRICK AT CHARLOTTE: In 208 starts at Charlotte, Hendrick Motorsports has 18 wins, which ranks first all-time among teams at the 1.5-mile oval. In May, Johnson won the 600-mile event there to become the winningest driver at the 1.5-mile track, breaking a tie with NASCAR Hall of Famers Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip. Johnson's Hendrick Motorsports teammates Gordon and Kahne rank second and third, respectively, among active drivers in wins at Charlotte. Hendrick Motorsports has 55 top-five finishes and 86 top-10s and has led 4,644 laps at Charlotte since 1984. Hendrick Motorsports’ 18 victories at Charlotte rank second for the organization behind Martinsville Speedway, where it has recorded a team-best 21 wins.

ALL-TIME WINNINGEST AT CHARLOTTE: Johnson is the all-time leader in Sprint Cup Series wins at Charlotte with seven. He also has four pole positions, 13 top-five, 17 top-10 finishes and has led 1,733 circuits in 26 starts at the 1.5-mile track. Johnson has an average start of 7.1 and an average finish of 11.2.

BEST OF THE BEST AT CHARLOTTE: Nearly every statistical category at Charlotte ranks as a personal best for Kahne, who has competed in 21 Cup events at the 1.5-mile oval. Kahne’s four wins, 12 top-10s and nine top-five finishes are personal bests. Kahne has completed 97.3 percent of the laps he has attempted at Charlotte and has led a personal-best 1,106 laps at the track. His 11.5 average finish at Charlotte ranks as his second-best among active tracks.  In 2013, Kahne posted two runner-up finishes at the Charlotte racetrack, leading a total of 299 of 734 laps. Overall, Kahne and Matt Kenseth lead all active drivers with three runner-up finishes at Charlotte.

GORDON AT CHARLOTTE: Gordon has five wins in 43 starts at the 1.5-mile track. His 16 top-five finishes and 23 top-10s are most among active drivers while his nine pole positions are tied for the most among current competitors.

EARNHARDT AT CHARLOTTE: In 29 Cup starts at Charlotte, Earnhardt has recorded one pole position, five top-five finishes and 11 top-10s. He has completed 94.3 percent of all laps he's attempted (9,852 laps of 10,452 total) at the 1.5-mile oval. The 39-year-old driver has led a total of 343 laps there.